Saving Prince Vegeta
by darkwinterfrost
Summary: An A/U set on Namek where the prince is hurt in battle with no one to help him except Bulma. Despite her reluctance and his disposition they may have gotten more than they bargained for...


**I do not own Dragon Ball Z.**

**So I've been playing around with this story for a couple months. I liked the idea of these two hard headed people having a secret liaison on Namek while Vegeta was still their enemy lol. Tell me what you guys think. Enjoy **

Once again Vegeta cursed Frieza and his pretty boy henchman to hell and back. Not for the first time he wondered who had told that madman about the dragon balls. He gritted his teeth against his pain and continued to shakily fly to wherever. His mind had no destination scouted out.

His vision was quickly fading, blurring in and out of focus. Blood from a cut on his forehead dripped down into his eye. He growled and swiped a hand across his face, most of the white glove now stained with red. He supposed he had to hand it to Frieza. When that creature wanted things done, no one stood in his way and expected to live.

He had had a narrow escape and he was wise enough to acknowledge the danger he had surpassed. In his current disposition he would be useless in trying to locate the last dragon ball. At least Frieza would never find the one he had hidden, he noted with satisfaction, though it did little to lighten his predicament.

He was in no state of mind to enjoy the hold he had over Frieza, no matter how small. Without all seven dragon balls Frieza wouldn't be able to make his blasted wish. Vegeta was so single-mindedly focused on ways to beat Frieza that he underestimated his strength and without warning his vision blacked out and he plummeted to the ground.

Bulma's eyes snapped open, eyes wide with fear. Her heart was thundering in her chest but she had no idea what had woken her up. It took a minute for her heart to descend to its normal tempo and another minute for her brain to comprehend she wasn't being attacked. She sat up and moved off the bed. Cautiously she poked her head out the Capsule Corporation house.

When nothing irregular jumped out she continued up the cave until she emerged into the sunlight. When she saw the dust settling and a body being pulled into the water she screamed and ran forward, thinking it was either Gohan or Krillen. She had promised Chi-Chi she would take care of the boy and if anything happened to him the younger woman would be down on her head for it.

As Bulma neared the water's edge, coughing out dust, she spied the Saiyan body armor and her feet drew to a halt, horror forming in her eyes. She had never seen Vegeta in person before but he didn't look much different from when she had seen him on TV on Earth. Maybe he looked a little bigger, in musculature, at least.

She tiptoed to the edge and sighed in relief when she noticed he wasn't moving. Maybe she should just leave him where he lay. He had killed Yamcha, and this rescue mission for the dragon balls was his entire fault too. If he hadn't come to Earth to try and sell it to the highest bidder they wouldn't be in this predicament.

Bulma's anger grew steadily as she approached him. Half his upper body was on land, his face turned slightly to the side. He was battered and bruised and blood dripped from open wounds. While looking at this murderous Saiyan the last thing she expected to feel was a pang of sympathy. He looked so pathetic, laying there half in the water and half out of it, not even aware of what was happening around him.

If she had been one of the other Z Warriors she would have already ended his life, not wasting a second to think about how relaxed he looked when he was unconscious. A little fluttering sensation started in her gut and that was the deciding factor for her.

Bulma squatted down next to him and reached out a hand. She hoped he was still unconscious. If he was awake he would blast her away for even daring to come this close to him. His skin felt cool to the touch and she quickly grabbed his arm, hauling him out of the water before he caught a cold. She struggled to get him onto dry land.

When she was high enough she turned him onto his back and reached underneath his arms, locking her hands against his chest. It took her the better part of half an hour to get him into the Capsule Corp house and nearly fifteen minutes more to get him onto the spare bed. In the end she sank on the edge of the bed and panted her weariness.

Vegeta still slept like a king, unaware of all that had happened. Bulma gently cleared away the blood from him and bandaged up the worst of the bruises. She was so absorbed in her nurturing she didn't notice the exact moment when the prince opened his eyes and turned his gaze to her, so when she eventually moved to put a plaster on his forehead her hand froze. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours until the prince glared at her.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

When Vegeta tried to sit up Bulma jumped back, dropping the plaster to the floor. She looked around anxiously for a weapon and could only find an injection filled with anesthetic. She grabbed it and turned, stabbing the prince in his arm and injecting all the liquid in it. He howled in pain and wrenched his arm away. Bulma backed away as Vegeta turned his glare on her again.

"What did you do?" he roared, his voice bouncing off the walls and seeming louder. "What did you put in me?"

When she didn't answer he advanced on her, a ki ball forming in one hand. Bulma was freaking out. Why wasn't he unconscious yet? The amount of anesthetic she gave him should have knocked out three people. As he continued to advance on her, an expression of rage on his face, she wondered how she had ever felt sympathetic toward this man. He was a monster. The next step he took was a little unsteady and he looked down at his feet in confusion. Then his glare was back and directed at her.

"I will make you pay for this, woman, see if I don't," he snarled before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward, the ki ball disappearing.

Bulma instinctively moved forward to catch him but underestimated his weight. She landed hard on her back and Vegeta tumbled on top of her. She wheezed in air, struggling to breathe. The prince was squashing her. She was too delicate for this! His peaceful face was inches from hers and once again she caught herself staring at how serene he looked when he was unconscious.

Grumbling to herself about the atmosphere on Namek driving people daft she shoved Vegeta off her. He landed next to her with a thud. She turned on her side and watched him sleep. She couldn't drag him back onto the bed without draining all of her energy. She supposed he would be just fine on the floor. He was probably used to much worse anyway. She did get up to bring him a blanket though. After placing it on him she went to clean up the first aid kit. As she was putting the last bit of it away she heard a groan from behind her and spun, dropping the syringe onto the floor again.

Vegeta was sitting up and looking at her groggily. He rubbed his head and then his eyes. "I'm not in pain anymore," he said, his voice slurring with drowsiness. "And I'm guessing I have you to thank for that, though why I should even be grateful when I'm feeling this way is beyond me." Bulma blinked, unsure of what to say. He sounded so un-Vegeta like.

"You were wounded," she said cautiously. "I found you outside the cave."

Vegeta blinked owlishly at her and a slow grin spread across his face. "You carried me in from outside? How noble of you. I suppose a normal person would be grateful."

"A normal person would," she retorted hotly, hands on her hips, a glare beginning to mar her features.

"I, however, do not display such measly bouts of emotion."

Bulma rolled her eyes and a reluctant grin curved up the corner of her mouth. "You should have just stopped with the grateful part."

He was trying to act all royal but with the anesthetic still spiking his blood he sounded more like a happy drunk. She found she liked him this way, all playful and teasing.

"What happened to you?" she questioned, curious as to how he came to be so injured. Vegeta stumbled to his feet and rubbed his head.

"It was that pretty boy," he spat, growling. "How humiliating, to be beaten by someone who claims to be a man but looks like a woman."

Bulma smothered her giggle behind a closed fist. He looked so adorably flabbergasted.

"Stop laughing, woman," he growled, shooting her a glare.

In his current state she couldn't take him seriously and she burst out laughing. Tears leaked from her eyes and she wiped them away, still chuckling. When she opened her eyes she was a little startled to see Vegeta so close to her. She hadn't even heard him move. She moved to take a step back but found the wall against her back. Immediately her laughter died down and she peered up at him, worry in her eyes.

"So you like to laugh, huh," he said softly, one hand coming to rest on the wall beside her head. Bulma gulped and looked into his eyes. They were staring at her intensely and for a second she wondered if his body had burned through the effects of the anesthetic.

"I'm not laughing now," she whispered.

Vegeta bent his head lower until his mouth brushed her ear. "I can see that," he whispered. She shivered as his hot breath caressed her skin. Why was she suddenly feeling these stirrings for the Saiyan prince? She didn't know much about him and the little that she did know, she didn't like. He murdered just for the fun of it. Women and children didn't even stand a chance against him. So what the hell was she doing standing and contemplating what it would be like to kiss him? Bulma didn't realize her gaze had dropped to his mouth or that she had been staring at it for the past few seconds. Unfortunately for her though, Vegeta saw the direction of her stare and another slow grin crossed his face.

"What are you staring at, woman?" he asked softly, his voice almost conversational.

Despite the soft overture of his voice Bulma caught the dangerous undercurrent skimming the surface. Again she wondered how he could have burned through the anesthetic so quickly. But then again if he had burned it all up he wouldn't be so friendly or _normal_.

His question did raise a blush in her cheeks and she ducked her eyes, feeling tremendously shy for the first time in forever. The bloody wretch knew exactly what she had been staring at and she knew she shouldn't have expected him to play the gentleman and refrain from asking the obvious.

"I...I...nothing," Bulma stammered, her cheeks giving away her already obvious discomfort. She squirmed when Vegeta leaned in closer and caged her in his arms, effectively trapping her. She could feel his body heat scorching her and she wondered if it was all him or if she was also emitting such heat. He bent his head and she felt his breath tickling her cheek. She wasn't sure whether she should push him away and risk angering him or just stay as submissive as she was now. Then she felt the barest hint of a kiss. Her body began to respond to him, to her utter exasperation.

Vegeta placed another butterfly kiss on her cheek and Bulma turned her head away, knowing she should be resisting but confused as to why she didn't want to. The angry, merciless, universe-hating Saiyan she could manage. This Vegeta, this playful, teasing drug-induced side of him, she didn't know how to deal with.

Deep in her musings she didn't realize she had left the left side of neck open to him, which he took full advantage of. When he placed a hot open-mouthed kiss on her neck she jumped with a gasp, trying to back into the wall. But he was persistent. His left arm snaked around her hips to hold her lower body tightly to his. He kissed her neck again and she bit back a breathy moan. The feelings he was arising in her! She could barely keep them from tumbling forth.

To her astonishment she felt him grind his hips against hers. It was the most erotic thing she had ever felt. When he did it again, her mouth opened on a pleasured sigh. She was fast moving to the point of no return and not even the threat of imminent death hanging over her head could have drawn her away. Desire pooled low in her stomach, making her squirm. Over and over he slowly grinded against her, placing those butterfly kisses on her neck. At one point his teeth had lightly scraped her skin but that only served to add to the eroticism of the act.

Bulma's mind was blank, wiped of all thoughts of everyone and everything except this feeling and the man making her feel those things. It was a heady sensation, especially since he was no friend of theirs. She lifted her hands to his chest to push him away when he growled sexily in her ear. Pretty soon his butterfly kisses weren't enough for her.

"Are you going to kiss me or do you plan on teasing me until the effects of the anesthetic wear off?" she asked on a gasp.

With a dark chuckle he pulled his head up and stared into her eyes. She noted with some satisfaction that his eyes were unfocused, the pupils dilated. Without even a blink he slammed his lips against hers, eliciting a squeal from her. His mouth moved skillfully over hers as he continued his grinding. Bulma was going delirious. It wasn't as if she wanted to feel this way. But she was helpless under his onslaught. His tongue dipped into her mouth and hers rose to meet it. Her hands slid up his armor-clad chest to slide into his flame-shaped hair. It felt silky smooth under her fingers and slightly damp from his earlier fall. Vegeta lifted his head, breathing deeply, but Bulma gripped fistfuls of his hair and yanked him closer.

"More," she demanded, her voice sounding sexy even to her own ears. She barely heard his surprised chuckle before his mouth descended to hers again. Not that she left him much of a choice. All she could feel was heat. The scent coming off him was driving her crazy. It was all pure unadulterated male. Even if Gohan and Krillen walked in she wouldn't have been able to stop herself. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and she retaliated, making him growl from deep within his chest.

It was one of Bulma's darkest fantasies come to life. Despite her tempestuous relationship with Yamcha, she'd always had dreams about a love affair with a dark and dangerous rogue. In her mind the man was always faceless but she had no doubt now that Vegeta's would be permanently etched there. She thought he must be enjoying himself immensely, with the way his lips moved over hers, but when he suddenly wrenched himself away from her she almost cried out at the loss of heat. He took a step away from her.

She gazed at him, noted the dazed look in his eyes and his mouth swollen from her kisses, and couldn't stop the small smile from tilting her mouth. She reached out a hand to him but suddenly his eyes gained their clarity and he looked panicked. He turned and ran, bolting through the door of the house and out of the cave.

Bulma could only gape in wonder at where the Saiyan Prince had stood. After a long while one hand lifted and covered her heart. One thing was for certain, she didn't think she would ever look at him the same way again. After what happened she knew she had to break up with Yamcha. She wouldn't expect him to forgive what had just happened, and even more so at the lack of regret she felt. A small smile of satisfaction curved her mouth again.

Now that she knew she affected him just as much as he affected her he didn't stand a chance. After this splendid display of his other side, she would keep bombarding him with all the feelings she felt until he started to return them. Deep down she knew he wasn't a bad person, knew that he was being forced to do Frieza's bidding. He was lonely, just like she was. She knew he wouldn't accept it if she tried to help him. He was decidedly too proud that way. But even the proudest warrior felt the pull of despair when all he had was nothing and no one. She decided then and there that she would make sure he was never lonely again.

Vegeta had never told Bulma that he had been the one in control that day. That he'd flown away as fast and as far as he could. Up to this day he still didn't know what caused him to act so recklessly. Sure, he'd been feeling the effects of the anesthetic, as she called it, and had just teased her to torment her. Never had he imagined she would respond to him and so eagerly. He could still feel her body tight against his, could still taste the cherry flavored lip gloss on her lips. She hadn't known how close he'd been to flying back to her and finishing what they'd started. Only the thought of her fear once she realised the anesthetic had worn off made him stop from turning back to her.

If Vegeta had told her she would smile that beautiful smile of hers and castigate him for putting her through all that trouble of trying to win his heart when it had already been hers right from the very beginning. He let her go on thinking that it was the anesthetic that was in control. She teased him often enough about that, though never in front of others. He had at first been insulted that she hadn't wanted others to know but then she'd admitted to him that she liked that that moment had been theirs, and theirs alone. It humbled him to hear his woman, his mate, his wife, his love, speak so fondly about him that time, especially since he had done nothing to deserve the love shining in her eyes whenever she looked at him.

Vegeta supposed he had been lost and lonely until he'd found her. He'd fought his instant attraction to her the moment he set eyes on her by threatening to kill her. He didn't know how else to react to the feelings bombarding him. He would never have hurt her, if Krillen had called his bluff. He couldn't have. He'd just have been hurting himself.

Until she came along he had nothing and no one. Sure, he was the Prince of all Saiyans, but what did he really have before her? Until she came along his life had looked like one long bleak killing spree until he would have no doubt gotten himself killed. Until she came along he had wanted nothing but the anger and rage to keep festering inside him, for that was what kept his home planet alive inside of him. Until she came along he had never suspected that letting go of all that rage would set him free. _She_ had set him free, and he loved her all the more for it.

In the years that passed he may have kept silent about it, but he knew she knew and he didn't mind it at all. Even though he would never admit it out loud, would deny it with everything he had, he acknowledged only to himself that she had been the one to save him.


End file.
